Little Dancer
by smile1
Summary: Camille/Moose one piece. His attention was diverted back to Camille as she came rushing back out of the dorm. She held her head low and was keeping her arms close to her body, so different from how she held herself when she was around him.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the Step Up movies. All I own is my imagination.**

**A/N: **It's been awhile since I've shown my face around here. Life has been hectic as ever, despite my lack of a job... STILL! It's so frustrating that there are not a lot of jobs out there and so many people to fill them. Hence my decision to go back to school for a year to get my teaching degree. I figured that would improve my chances of getting a job. Now that I've poured my heart out on here, how about we get to the story. The last time I checked there weren't a lot of Camille/Moose pieces out there, so that's why I wrote this because this amazing couple deserves the attention and credit for thicking out the story line of the movie. I'm in love with these two little dancers. The story has been on my computer for weeks now and I just needed to get it done and on here, so that explains why it isn't all that it could be. But it's still cuteness all the way. :)

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**Little Dancer**

"_I've never had anyone in my life who stayed…"_

She didn't like to think in terms of experience when it came to him, her best friend. Because if she did, he would become like this stranger to her, a person she barely knew and didn't want to let in, afraid he would realize that, in comparison, she was severely lacking. She wasn't as skilled in dancing as he was; she had been doing it for a shorter period of time and wasn't as into it as he was, so she guessed she wasn't as good as him, not that it ever had been a competition. She wanted him to succeed in what he loved. She also wasn't as experienced as him when it came to relationships and such, or so she had a feeling. He was always surrounded by attractive members of the opposite sex and most liked him, it was blatantly clear whenever they were around him, and he did have a flirtatious streak that came out often enough. She guessed it was his way of connecting with people, though it was really his dancing that kept him from being too socially awkward. Not that she was a social butterfly, though she was known to draw a crowd when dancing.

So did Moose, but when she danced, it was different; she was different. Her lines were softer and flowed together effortlessly, always feminine in spite of the angular and sometimes harsh movements. On top of that, she would pull off moves that he simply couldn't, like shaking her hips in a seductive way and snaking her limbs in a sultry manner. When she pushed her chest and ass out, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Camille was unaware of her appeal; she always was as she lost herself in the dance. She didn't do it to get noticed, she did it as a form of creative release and as an emotional outlet, but she was good nonetheless. It was during those moments that his jealousy flared up and raged on the inside, even though he kept it as manageable as he could and never showed it, refused to. After all, she was his closest friend and they had this comfort level established between the two of them, and he didn't want that to change.

But more so, she had a boyfriend and, if anything, he had to respect that, because if Moose had been in his shoes, he wanted to be able to trust his girlfriend and the men she was around. It was naïve to think that the world worked like that, especially speaking as a single guy. Still, he and Camille had yet to cross the friend zone and into something else. She was just his friend and he was jealous. He couldn't fathom how her boyfriend dealt with it. He wasn't a dancer (he was a law student to be exact) so he rarely went with her when she went out to clubs, with mostly guys to dance with and be gawked at.

Moose shook his head, his curls being held in place by the grey beanie he plopped onto his head almost every morning, which he was now adjusting. He was standing at the club's exit, slightly leaning against the wall as he waited for Camille to join him. He was her ride—he was always her ride—ever since he had gotten his new used car, bought with money the crew had won and divided equally among its members. The car had quickly turned into a must-have and he enjoyed the car rides with Camille; they liked the same music so the radio was always on, and sometimes she sang along. He didn't, he only bobbed his head.

Moose pocked his hands, his jeans black and button up shirt a bright yellow, and searched again for Camille among the many bodies and faces. She was saying goodbye to the crew, one of them although she wouldn't label herself so. She had just finished up a battle and was dressed in skintight black leggings, a long grey tee with pink neon writing splashed on the front, and neon pink high tops to match. After lifting his leather jacket from a barstool, she pirouetted around and made her way over to where he stood waiting.

"Finally," Moose feigned complaint. "You think you got enough praise?" he asked her, opening the door. "Because we can go back for more if you want."

Camille stuck out her tongue as she past him. "You're just jealous because I have more moves than you and you don't want to admit it, which I get because losing to a girl—"

"Hardly," Moose remarked playfully, rolling his eyes.

"—isn't going to do anything for your reputation with the crew," Camille finished the sentence he had interrupted.

She looked at him and he looked at her, a small smile in place. "I don't know why you just don't join us. We could use the femininity…" He paused briefly as Camille threw him an amused look and he brought his hand up to her face. "If you don't have anything nice to say…"

She burst out laughing and he removed his hand, shaking his head. "Back to the point I was trying to make… the crew already loves you. They'd probably kick me out if you joined, you know, officially, since you're already out dancing and battling with us every chance you get."

She shook her head. "I'm fine with my unofficial status, for now. And you have nothing to worry about. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love to dance, but it's not my life."

"Just your nightlife," Moose cleverly pointed out, referring to the fact that she went out with them at least every other night. He blew into his hands, the air outside chilly, and watched her pull on his jacket. "I'm glad I brought a jacket."

"Yeah, it's cold," she replied, zipping up the jacket before looking back at Moose. "Thanks for being such a gentleman about it."

He huddled a little closer to her. "If I remember correctly, you kind of claimed the jacket." He rubbed his hands together before pocketing them again.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. The car's right there." Camille pointed and sped up a little as she crossed the street. Moose followed, slow at first, but then he removed his hands from his pockets and sprinted to catch up with her. He grabbed her by the waist as he came up behind her, making sure his fingers came into contact with her bare skin.

She shrieked as a result from his freezing touch and squirmed from his playful hold.

"I thought you weren't cold," he said with a laugh, getting his keys and unlocking the car. They got in and he started the car after which she switched on the radio.

They drove over to Matthew's (that was the name of Camille's boyfriend) dorm in silence. At least, the usual back and forth of their conversation was missing, but Camille did sing her little dancer's heart out while Moose whistled while he drove, stealing amused glances over at her whenever the road allowed it. He parked his car, keeping the engine running. Affectionately, he placed a hand on her knee and she let him gently squeeze it before dropping her hand onto his. "So, you'll call me?"

Moose shrugged at her question. "I don't know, Cam… I don't want this to become a one way street. How about you call me? Unless Matt doesn't want you to call me for some reason… Like, maybe his envy when it comes to my boyish good looks and charm," he told her matter-of-factly, adding a sleazy wink for the effect and running his hand up her leg in a teasing manner.

"You so need to get a girlfriend." Camille pushed his hand away and slipped out of the car, smiling.

He honked his horn at her and watched her walk over to the building and enter in. He didn't drive off immediately, but sat there for a few minutes, almost in a wistful mood. He selfishly missed having her to himself and spending days and nights with her, without having to alternate or call beforehand. His reverie didn't go on for much longer; his attention was diverted back to Camille as she came rushing back out of the dorm. She held her head low and was keeping her arms close to her body, so different from how she held herself when she was around him. _She reminded him of a music box that was broken._

She peered out from beneath her lashes and scanned the parking lot, relieved to spot him still there. She ran over to the car and he waited for her to get in. Giving her a few seconds, he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, impatient and worried, and pretended not to notice how obviously upset she was. The lines in her face were tight and curved downwards and she sat slumped in the seat.

"That was quick," Moose broke the silence and slightly turned his body towards her. "Everything okay?" He bumped his knee against her. "Cam, hey," he began, the pitch of his voice going up as a sob escaped Camille's throat. It was a strange sound coming from her, one he had only been a witness of once or twice before. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, unable to speak right at that moment. She was trying to contain her sobbing, choosing to do it silently and struggle through them.

"What happened?" he asked, his tone of voice now having enough of an edge to it to elicit an answer.

He heard her take a breath and exhale it back out shakily. She didn't look at him, not yet. "Looks like I'm single again, which means I can go out dancing with you guys more." Now she did look at him and she tried to smile, but it was definitely a half-assed one.

Moose's eyes widened. "What, why, I don't… I mean, I thought…"

Camille nodded. "That's what I thought. He was so cool about everything, you know."

"Yeah," he agreed, not knowing what else to say.

"Turns out he was so cool about it because my absences gave him more time to have sex with a girl that obviously isn't me," she bitterly continued, dismissing his silence. "I can't believe I didn't see it, or thought that he actually liked me!"

"I'm sure he—"

Her eyes intensely set on his, daring him to complete his sentence. "She's a redhead, Moose! And when I say redhead, I mean she's red all over." Camille closed her eyes as the words left her mouth, trying to repress a mental picture.

"How do you…" he started, although he quickly trailed off as it clicked in his head. He looked at her and she stared out of the window, her arms crossed. "You walked in on him with the redhead?"

She nodded, her face tearstained. "Oh yeah, I was presented with a close up." She wiped at her face before dropping both hands into her lap, palms up in a frustrated gesture. "And you know the cheater had the nerve to put the blame on me for his slip-up, his word, definitely not mine." She pulled at the jacket she was still wearing. "He saw this on me and bombarded me with accusations! Apparently me wearing my best friend's jacket is cause for pointing the finger at me. I haven't been spending as much time with him as he would have liked and why does the time I don't spend with him have to be spent with a majority of guys and—"

Camille was forced to stop her anger filled run-on sentence when Moose abruptly got out of the car. He slammed the door and stormed off towards the building she had just vacated. She yelled his name, but knowing he couldn't hear her, she reached out and honked the car's horn at him. She did this over and over, until he at least stopped and turned back around to look over at her. She quickly opened the car door and stuck her head out. "Moose! Get back in the car, please?" she added. She watched him head back over to the car, shaking his head and his hands balled into fists. "I just want you to take me back to my dorm," she finished telling him over the top of the car, waiting for him to get back in the car before she did the same.

Moose slammed the door. Camille crossed her arms and waited until he had pulled out of the parking lot before speaking again. "I don't get why you had to cause a scene when I'm the one who should have."

"Then why didn't you, Camille?" Moose shot at her, glancing over at her. "The guy's an absolute jerk for doing that to you and you just—"

"What, just ran off crying like a girl," she finished his sentence for him, her tone sharp as it forcefully cut through the air. "What was I supposed to do, stay around and get in a fight with him while the redhead was still in the bed with him?" She looked over at him. "Well, I'm sorry if I wasn't strong enough for that… but I really had nothing to say to him," she continued on more calmly. "I mean, what was I supposed to say to him, Moose…" She shrugged. "He knew it would upset me. And I guess I don't really blame him; I have been spending more and more time with you."

Moose shook his head. "He told you he was cool with you doing so." They had reached Camille's dorm so he turned his body towards her again, giving her his full attention.

"Guess I should have been more concerned with what he was doing with that extra time, huh?"

He reached for her hand. "You trusted him, Chameleon. And you should continue to do that because not everyone is like your scheming son of a bitch ex."

She nodded, although the last word hit her where it hurt the most and her heart ached as the blow landed. Her throat tightened with sobs that she didn't want to let out and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Not knowing what there was left to say, Moose pulled at her hand and brought her body into his. He kissed the top of her head as he felt her tears stain his shirt. "You know I'm going to drive back over there to beat him up the second you get out of this car, right?"

She shook her head. "You can't, you'll get hurt."

"It'll be for a good cause."

She smiled into him as she felt him place another kiss on her hair. "Why can't all guys be like you, Moose?" She meant it as a friendly compliment, but when she looked up, their lips accidently brushed together; he had been closer than she thought. She searched for his eyes with hers and saw how the moment had frozen for him as well.

He didn't know what to say as it was a close encounter, closer than they had ever been and he didn't know how to react. She was his friend, not just a friend, but someone who he had come to rely on and trust and he didn't want to do anything that he would regret… even though he had considered kissing her a few times before. But he hadn't because she had a boyfriend and now he didn't want to take advantage of the fragile state she was.

She read the conflict in his eyes, but, unlike him didn't think twice and pressed her lips against his again. She waited for his eyes to close before she did the same. It was an instinctive move, one that unexpectedly paid off as she felt him push her lips apart with his tongue so he could deepen the kiss. Both of his hands were now cupping her face while hers pulled at his shirt and she leaned back and maneuvered him so that his body came to lie on top of hers. He shifted his body so the weight was divided evenly and the pressure was still comfortable for her. In fact, it all felt good, almost second nature to them. _She knew where to put her hands and he knew where to place his._

She had been worried before about her lack of expertise compared to his, but she couldn't remember why. She was laying back and enjoying it fully, letting him be the dominant one as she relied on him for the right pressure and pace. He was giving her chills, the good kind that went up and down her spine. Her whole body was tingling and she couldn't help but moan into him. The fabric of his jeans was rubbing against her leggings and she arched her back, pressing her body against his. _They fit together the way two people should fit together_, even though they weren't supposed to, at least she didn't think so… She couldn't trust herself right now; she was vulnerable and she was looking for comfort. Suddenly, she heard a thump, the impact causing Moose to bite her lip by accident. He let out a curse and reached for his head.

"What happened?" she asked, her lip only lightly throbbing.

"Hit my head against the door," Moose mumbled, his manner comical as he rubbed his head and his bottom lip lowered into a pout.

Her lip followed the movement and began to quiver as emotion washed over her once again. Moose's attention was back on her instantly. "What? Is it your lip, I'm so sorry, Cam; it was an accident and—"

She shook her head and covered her face with her hands. He heard her inhale and exhale before removing them, looking everywhere but at him. Moose lifted his body from hers and sat back up. Camille shot back up and reached for the car door, although he had already auto locked all of the doors, having foreseen her move. "Don't."

"Doesn't seem like I have a choice," she replied.

Moose sighed and unlocked all the doors, one hand clutched in his curls. "I just don't want you to freak out and run off."

"I don't want to talk about this, Moose."

"We don't have to tonight."

She shook her head. "No, not ever. There is nothing to talk about. I temporarily lost my mind, okay. I just never had to deal with a break-up before because this is my first break-up ever and to make it even more memorable it was a bad break-up."

"That's putting it lightly."

"Thanks, Moose, you really know how to make a girl feel better."

"Well, we could try your approach, " he referred to her kissing him, "but to be honest it felt a little like you were looking for some quick comfort."

"I didn't see you try to stop me," Camille challenged him.

"I'm a guy."

Her eyes narrowed at his insensitive remark. "Tonight more than ever," were the words she said before she got out of the car. Before she could storm off, Moose had also vacated the car and had his fingers locked around her wrist. She shook her head, but turned around to face him anyway.

"You're my best friend and I want to be there for you. You're right, I shouldn't have acted like such a guy.

Camille opened her mouth, ready to apologize for kissing him, but instead she told him, "I wanted you to."

"What does that mean?" He asked after clearing his throat.

She shrugged." It means that my relationship with Matthew was bound to strand, we've been stuck in the same place for a while now. It was time. I was hiding, looking for a way out…"

"A way out of what?" He closed his hand over hers. "Tell me."

She took a deep breath. "A way out of admitting my feelings for you… to myself and to you, but I guess the surprise factor went out of the window with, you know, our make-out session."

Moose let go of her hand and ran both of his through his unruly hair, shaking his head as he did this. "This is like the worst timing ever…"

Camille took a step back and nodded. "Okay. I understand." With those words, she turned and started to head for her dorm.

Moose instantly followed her, one step behind her. "Where are you going?"

"Obviously we're doing talking."

"We are…?"

Camille nodded. "Yeah, there's no need to say anymore. I've had my dose of humiliation for the day, so I'm just going to pretend like all of this," she stopped and made a gesture with her hands, "didn't happen."

"So you're going to go back to Matt tomorrow?" Moose asked, one eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

She pushed against his chest. "No! But the whole kissing you part, that was just like daydream or something."

"Not good enough in real life huh? If that's the case, you should've just come out and told me; I can deal with criticism, in fact," he took an abrupt step or two towards her, backing her up against the wall as he inched closer, "I'm the type of person who learns from his mistakes. I'm all about improvement." His hands were now on either side of her head and she temporarily stopped breathing. All air escaped her as he brought his face down to hers and brushed his lips against hers, the touch light as feathers. He slightly deepened the kiss and cupped her face tenderly. Her knees weakened beneath her and she leaned her body against his. Her hands gripped at his shirt and it was the only thing holding her up as he pulled away gently.

"Just so we're clear, I'm more than a rebound."

Camille smiled at that, not saying a word.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to have to say goodnight and get back to my own room… " He touched his forehead to hers, creating a more intimate feel. "Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded.

He did as well and began backtracking to his car, a smile on his face, although he was still going to make a detour past Matt's dorm, even if it was just to glare angrily at him.

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**Please review? **As always, a review would be much appreciated. Also some support for the job front, even though you guys don't know me, would be amazing. I'm just frustrated being jobless and trying my best, but still not getting a job though I'm capable and want to. Anyway, I hope that this story was to your liking. :) Thanks so much for reading. x


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